


to tell a tale

by jayeinacross



Category: Castle
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, M/M, Other, Trope Bingo Round 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-01
Updated: 2013-09-01
Packaged: 2017-12-25 07:28:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/950348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jayeinacross/pseuds/jayeinacross
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The maiden he's calling sticks her head out the window. She's as beautiful as he'd imagined she would be, long brown hair falling over her shoulder. Her strong voice carries her question down to him easily. "Who the hell are you?"</p><p>Kate's on a quest to bring the corrupt Jarl Bracken to justice and Castle is a not-quite dashing scoundrel. Kevin is a rabbit, and Javier is his knight in shining armour.</p>
            </blockquote>





	to tell a tale

**Author's Note:**

> for the trope bingo square "au: fairy tale/myth"

"Fair maiden!" A man calls from the bottom of the stone tower, squinting against the sun, trying to peer at the window above. "Fair maiden, are you there?"  
      
The maiden he's calling sticks her head out the window. She's as beautiful as he'd imagined she would be, long brown hair falling over her shoulder. Her strong voice carries her question down to him easily. "Who the hell are you?"  
      
"You can call me Castle," the man says, puffing out his chest. "I'm your dashing scoundrel."  
      
"That's not actually your name," the maiden says.  
      
"Well, no," he admits. "But when we fall in love, I tell you my real name as a sign of trust." She gives him a flat look, and he coughs. "Anyway, Castle is appropriately dramatic for someone as ruggedly handsome as me."  
      
"I really don't think she needs a dashing scoundrel," someone says from behind him.  
      
Castle turns around, and stops short when he sees a knight standing there, wearing a rather impressive suit of armour, and pointing a sword at him.  
      
"He's right," the maiden says, then to the knight, "Bring him up here."  
      
When he's on the top floor of the tower and tied to a chair, Castle says somewhat petulantly, "You could have just _said_ that you already had a knight in shining armour. I mean, I didn't have you down for a love triangle kind of person, but--"  
      
"That's not my knight," the maiden, whose name is Kate, interrupts, and points to a rabbit that Castle hadn't noticed sitting nearby until now. "It's his."  
      
Castle blinks.  
      
"I'm Kevin," the rabbit says. He looks at Kate. "He is kind of dashing, you know."  
      
"Hey," the knight, Javier, protests.  
  
"Guys, focus," Kate says sharply, then turns back to Castle, who's just realized that the chair he's strapped to is quite close to the window. The price of imagination, he supposes, is that it's quite easy to consider the possibility of them pushing him right out of the tower if they don't like what they hear from him. "I'll ask you again: who are you, and what are you doing here?"  
  
Castle shrugs. "Your tower looked kind of interesting."  
      
"I told you that the tower was too conspicuous," Javier says.  
      
"So I'm a traditionalist, sue me," Kevin replies irritably. "Anyway, why don't _you_ find the hideout next time then?"  
  
"He could be a spy," Kate says quietly. "We can't afford to let anyone know what we're planning."  
  
"I don't know," Kevin says doubtfully. "I mean, look at him."  
  
Castle, who has been struggling experimentally against the ropes -- Kate is very good at tying knots, apparently -- looks up and makes a noise of protest. He'd probably make a great spy. Then he remembers the window, and decides to be quiet.  
  
"Yeah, well, you don't exactly look like a prince, but there you go," Kate says. "In any case, we have to move. If he somehow got word out with our location, we can't stay here any longer."  
  
"What are we going to do with him?"  
  
Kate grimaces. "We'll have to bring him with us."  
  
His wrists are getting kind of raw, but all in all, Castle supposes it's not such a bad day. There's a nice breeze, and it's a lot better than being a pile of broken limbs on the ground, so he counts this as a positive, even if he is technically a prisoner of what appear to be criminals. They've been walking for a while now, Kate and Javier carrying what few possessions they seem to have, keeping off the main roads and sticking to mostly undisturbed trails, on their way to what Castle assumes is another one of their hideouts. But the silence is starting to feel awkward, and it's a little difficult to walk for so long with his hands still tied, so he clears his throat to get Kate's attention.  
  
"The first thing that I want to say is please don't panic," Castle says, and lifts up his hands, the loosened rope falling to the ground. Kate immediately has her knife to his throat. "I'm sorry. It was getting uncomfortable."  
  
"How did you do that?"  
  
"Practice?" Castle offers. "I'm not really keen on rope burn -- at least, not in this kind of situation."  
  
Javier raises an eyebrow. Kate narrows her eyes, then says, "Fine. But I'm sure you understand what will happen if you try anything."  
  
She taps him on the arm with the flat of her knife, and the threat is clear, so Castle just keeps his mouth shut. They walk for the rest of the day, with only a few short breaks, so Castle's glad when they finally reach a small cottage just as the sun is beginning to set, though he wonders who could be living out in this remote place. A wizard, maybe, or an old mentor that Kate has decided to turn to for help.  
  
Nobody lives there, it turns out. There's a layer of dust over everything, but the others seem to know their way around, so they must have been here before.  
  
"I don't know how secure this place is anymore," Javier says. "We'll have to scout around, move early in the morning."  
  
Kate goes to search the area to make sure there's nobody around, and Javier and Castle set about cleaning up the place a little. Kevin's sneezing from all the dust, which is actually pretty cute.  
  
"So what are we doing out here?" Castle asks, when Javier's kneeling by the fireplace, trying to get it going before it's too dark outside. Javier hesitates, glancing over at Kevin. "Come on, if I was going to sell you out, I could have done it any time."  
  
"That's not exactly reassuring," Javier mutters.  
  
"He's got a point," Kevin says, and Javier shrugs. "What do you want to know?"  
  
Castle nods. "So, you're not actually a rabbit, right? What's the story there?"  
  
"I was cursed. And we have to find the warlock that did it, but we're not exactly sure where to start. We have no idea where to find him."  
  
"Why'd he do it?"  
  
One of Kevin's ears twitches. "Convenience, mostly. A little bit of spite. I was a good scapegoat. I was lucky Javi was there."  
  
"Yeah, but we could have been luckier." Javier finally gets a fire lit, and starts feeding the flame. "For now, we're helping Kate out. Then we'll go find that warlock."  
  
"What exactly are you helping Kate out with?"  
  
"You'll have to ask her about that," is all Kevin will say on the matter, and Javier won't tell him anything either.  
  
Kate comes back not long after, her search not having shown signs of anyone else around, though after they eat a quick meal, she says that she'll keep watch for a while, just to make sure. Castle stays up with her, unable to sleep, too many thoughts and ideas running through his mind to rest yet. When he pulls a book, quill and ink out of his bag, Kate eyes him suspiciously.  
  
"What are you doing?"

"So, I may not technically be a dashing scoundrel," Castle says.  
      
"Shocking," Kate replies.  
      
"Kevin told me what happened to him. It's quite a story." Castle shrugs. "I'm a writer. That's what I was doing at your tower, looking for ideas."  
      
Kate has always loved reading, ever since she was a child, and her parents would read from storybooks to her, and bring them home as gifts when she got older. She mulls over what he's told her for a little while, listening to the scratch of his pen on paper. He might be telling the truth after all. Not a spy, then -- not dangerous. When she glances back over at him, he's squinting at where Javier and Kevin are asleep.  
      
"That looks so uncomfortable," Castle says, staring at Javier lying on the floor, still wearing his full suit of armour. Kevin's curled up next to his head. "Does he ever take it off?"  
      
Kate shrugs. "Not that I've ever seen."  
      
Castle looks at her, his pen stilling. "So what's your story? They wouldn't tell me."  
  
There's a long pause. Then, Kate finally says, "William Bracken. He's responsible for my mother's death."  
  
"Jarl Bracken? You're going after him?" Castle whistles lowly. "That's...bold. He's practically untouchable. What do you want from him?"  
  
"Justice," Kate says lowly.  
  
"Well, that's quite the story," Castle says, as the last embers of the fire flicker out.  
  
In the morning, Kate decides to let him go. "As long as you get out of here and keep your mouth shut, we won't come looking for you again."  
  
"I was thinking that I'd stay on, actually," Castle says.  
  
Kate stares at him. "What?"  
  
He grins. "You're going to need someone to document your great victory against the corrupt Jarl, aren't you? Your heroic journey to bring justice to your mother's death deserves to be glorified in book. And maybe even song. Who better to do it than me?"  
  
"It's dangerous."  
  
"Kevin's a rabbit. I can probably take care of myself better than him."  
  
"Kevin has Javier. You don't have a knight."  
  
Castle just grins, and mock bows. "You can be my knight. My lady."  
  
Kate rolls her eyes and shoves one of their supply bags into his arms. "You're carrying this."

* * *

  
"Kate," Castle says, turning to face her. Five months since he stumbled upon the tower and his brief stint as her prisoner, the four of them are about to storm the Jarl's castle and prove to everyone that Bracken is guilty of countless crimes he's hidden from everyone for years. "Kate, my name is Richard."  
  
"You have the  _worst_ timing," Kate says in disbelief.  
  
"Richard Rodgers," he continues. "I don't know what my mother was thinking."  
  
"Alliteration?" Kevin suggests, but nobody's listening to him.  
  
"I just wanted to tell you," Castle says. "And, you know -- if we get out of this alive, maybe we can go break Kevin's curse. That'd make a great sequel, right?"  
  
Kate smiles. "Then let's get out of this alive."

**Author's Note:**

> by the way, [this](http://indulgy.net/2t/Ks/I5/150307706282971477yIbto2dTc.jpg) is what I imagine Kevin looking like.


End file.
